The present invention relates to the general field of garage door or other barrier entry operators, and more particularly, to an external wall mountable, menu driven, console device for such operators.
In the art of garage door operators and the like, it is conventional practice to provide a wall mountable, menu driven, console device to control a door operator from the exterior of a building or a residential dwelling. Console devices known in the art are of various sophistication and user friendliness. Some console devices may be hardwired to the door operator. Other console devices may provide a wireless user interface to the door operator. Still other console devices may allow for a key-like entry system to gain access. Yet other console devices provide access to operation of the garage door after performing a keypad type entry.
It is conventional practice for some console devices to grant access only after entering a user identification or authorization code such as a Personal Identification Number (PIN). Console devices in the art allow a user to program a PIN of their own choosing.
Some conventional console devices provide programming feedback by a blinking light emitting diode (LED). Blinking LEDs fail to convey the nature of an error or confirm an entry while programming. Thus, blinking LEDs in conventional console devices make programming a user determined PIN tedious and difficult.
Because console devices with blinking LEDs offer limited feedback and thus have limited programming capabilities, they also have limited functional capabilities. For example, such console devices lack certain functional capabilities such as the ability to easily program and control more than one door, program more than one unique PIN or to create a separate temporary PIN. Limiting the functional capabilities of a console device limits the usefulness and efficiency of a given console device.
In the art of garage door openers and the like, certain console devices could include liquid crystal displays (or LCDs) to convey console device information to the user. Although these displays may provide the user with some programming feedback, LCDs are costly to manufacture when compared to LEDs, require expensive backlighting, fail to operate in most outdoor environments and do not hold up well in traditional surface mount manufacturing.
Accordingly, improvements in door operator console devices are desired, particularly in menu-driven programmable keyless wall console devices. There is a need for low cost, efficient and easy to use console devices with desirable features. With an easily programmable console device, users will have the ability to, for example, control and operate more than one door, efficiently program more than one PIN number for each door and easily create temporary PINs.